By Hussein Yahaya (Abuja), Ismail Adebayo (Birnin Kebbi), Mohammed I. Yaba (Kaduna), Magaji I. Hunkuyi (Jalingo), Umar Muhammed (Lafia), Peter Moses (Lagos),
Bassey Willie (Yenagoa), Eyo Charles (Calabar), Titus Eleweke (Awka) & Tijani Labaran (Lokoja)
The federal government yesterday raised the alarm over possible severe flooding beginning from the end of this month, saying 18 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are likely to be adversely affected.
The government also warned that prolonged flooding incidents might escalate the cholera incidents currently ravaging some states.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Terlumun Utsev, while addressing reporters in Abuja yesterday, said Nigeria had been experiencing flash/urban floods since May, resulting from high intensification of rainfall which has been prolonged, as well as poor and blocked drainage systems in many urban areas.
He said from the end of July, the country might start experiencing river flooding, which might be more devastating.
He listed states at high risk to include Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Rivers and Taraba as well as the FCT.
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had on Wednesday said 63 people had died of cholera with 2,102 suspected cases.
Since April 10, some states and the FCT have experienced flooding resulting in casualties and huge damage to properties.
The Water Resources minister said river flooding was expected from major rivers like the Niger and Benue, urging for continuous monitoring and proactive measures.
He noted that Nigeria is located at the lowest portion of the River Niger Basin, which means that once the upper catchment of the basin gets flooded, the country should be prepared to experience flooding incidents.
On the situation with Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, the minister said the operators had informed the country that they were currently filling the dam for hydropower generation.
He said the flow situation at Wuroboki was relatively normal now and that there was no cause for alarm.
On what the government was doing to mitigate the annual flooding from the release of water from the Lagdo Dam, he said arrangements were almost completed to build buffer dams along the water channel to camp water from that particular dam.
He said the designs of the dams had been done and that the government was almost at the implementation stage.
He said a presidential committee had been set up to see how any possible outbreak could be tackled.
He said the committee was also looking at the issue of open defecation which, according to him, is another causal factor for cholera.
Utsev said a realigned 2023 flood report had led to the formation of a new committee chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima to address broader disaster management issues, including erosion and desertification.
He said the committee had submitted its report which had been approved by the National Economic Council, with implementation strategies set to commence shortly.
The minister urged state and local governments, and other stakeholders to take measures to prevent the ugly flooding menace of the past years.
Clement Nze, Director-General, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), said his agency had, in the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook released in April, predicted that 148 local government areas across 31 states are at high risk of flooding this year.
He said the federal government had dispatched such outlooks to the state governments and even held a meeting on the issue with representatives of the states.
The acting Director-General, FCT Emergency Management Department, Florence Wenegieme, said the FCT Administration had been carrying out enlightenment on the need to clear drainage systems and desist from dumping refuse on waterways. States roll out enlightenment campaigns.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State government said it had embarked on massive public enlightenment campaign against flooding.
It said communities around river banks had been warned to move away from such areas to upper lands.
The Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, Abubakar Abdullahi, said the agency had prepared shelter facilities and warehouses to store food items and non-food items for immediate response, in case there was flooding.
Kaduna
The Zonal Coordinator, Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, Zone 1, said the agency had embarked on sensitisation and public enlightenment of residents to prevent flooding.
According to him, part of the sensitisation is to educate the people on the need for attitudinal change against blocking or dumping of refuse in drainage channels.
Taraba
The Taraba State Commissioner for Environment, Aishatu Barde, said an enlightenment campaign in areas prone to flooding would soon start.
“As a government, we will not force residents of areas located by river sides to relocate out of such areas, but we will continue to enlighten them on the need to leave such areas,” she said
Nasarawa
The Director-General, Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency, Zachary Allumaga, yesterday told Daily Trust that sensitisation campaigns against flooding had commenced across the 13 local government areas of the state. He said temporary settlements were being set up for displaced persons in flood-prone areas across the state.
Kogi
The Kogi State Commissioner for Environment and Ecological Management, Joseph Oluwasegun Stephen, said his ministry had effectively cleared major waterways to prevent flooding.
The executive secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, Mouktar Atima, said the agency had reached out to other related organisations, including the Red Cross, for data sharing that would enhance quick decision and implementation during flooding.
Ogun
The Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said the government had begun its preparation early enough with what he called hydraulic infrastructure upgrade, which include opening up of drainage channels, proper integration of the channels, removal of constrictions as well as waste management.
Oresanya said: “We’ve found that the majority of what is causing problems in Ogun State back then was waste. So, waste is being evacuated more often now in Ogun State. We now have less waste going inside the drainage.
“Then, information dissemination: We continue to disseminate information to our people so that they’ll know what they’re expecting and what they’ll do in those periods,” he said.
Bayelsa
The Director-General of the Bayelsa State Directorate of Flood and Erosion Control, Wilson Omuso, said his directorate had identified higher grounds for flood shades and would improve on the desilting work carried out by the directorate the previous year for the free flow of flood water into rivers and creeks in the state.
He said the directorate had made efforts to collaborate with relevant state and federal agencies, including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to achieve set objectives.
Cross River
The Cross River State Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, said: “For the safety of people living in the identified flood-prone neighbourhoods in parts of the state, we’ve improvised measures to mitigate against grave dangers of possible flooding.
“We’ve also planned for palliative care in case the flood actually happens,” he said.
Anambra
The Executive Secretary, Anambra State Emergency Management Agency, Paul Odenigbo, said the government was creating awareness for people in flood-prone areas to relocate to a safer places.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
